Fishing Report
August 24, 2010
Complements of Mosquito
Creek Outdoors, Apopka, FL
Upcoming Classes, Seminars and Events
Wednesday September 8th, Seminar on the "Fishing Fall Mullet Run" at
the Backcountry Flyfishing Association meeting, 6:30 PM, Harmoni Market,
2305 Edgewater Drive, Orlando, Florida 32804
Saturday, September 18th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing
with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers, Basic
fishing open forum, followed by "Fishing the Fall Mullet Run" 10:30
- 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington
Ave., Apopka Florida.
Saturday October 2nd 10 AM - 5 PM, "Discover Fly Fishing Day" in
the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida. Guides, Professionals
and Factory representatives will be on hand all day to introduce new
comers to fly fishing and discuss casting, destinations, tactics, and
equipment.
Saturday, October 23rd, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing
with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers, Basic
fishing open forum, followed by "Fall Fishing Tactics Redfish, Trout
and Flounder" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek
Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.
Tuesday, November 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Orlando Kayak Fishing Club Meeting
(open to all) in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoor in Apopka Florida.
Saturday, November 20th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing
with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers, Basic
fishing open forum, followed by "Preparing for the Shad Run & Crappie
Season & Shad Derby Meeting" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback
at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.
This Week's Report
My outdoor adventures this past week led me away from the waters of Central
Florida to the Florida Outdoor Writers Association conference in Tallassee,
Florida. One might think why would you have an outdoor writer's conference
in Tallassee? Well, to my surprise it turns out that between legislative
sessions and Florida State football games, Tallassee is the sportsman
capital of Florida.
We arrived in Tallassee on Wednesday afternoon and checked into the
newly renovated Hotel Duval just three blocks from the State Capital
building. Hotel Duval is both elegant and beautiful indeed, and it's
wonderful and friendly staff made our four day conference very enjoyable
and memorable.
Although the FOWA conferences are about networking with industry leaders
and professional outdoor communicators, we still manage to get in a fun
CPR fishing tournament out of the Shell Island Fish Camp in St. Marks,
for which I took third place, I'm not bragging! And a traditional FOWA
casting contest which was conducted on the steps of the State Capital
Building, drawing a group of curious on lookers.
Stormy Sunrise at St. Marks, photo by Kathy Barker
Captain Gary Schnake with a St. Marks Sea Trout, photo by Kathy Barker
Shell Island Skiff, photo by Kathy Barker
On the fishing side, Tallassee is blessed with both great freshwater
and saltwater opportunities. Both Lake Talquin and Lake Jackson Lake
Jackson are world renowned crappie, striper and largemouth bass fisheries
accessible to the public. On the saltwater side, St. Marks and the Apalachee
Bay are only 30 miles to the south.
Tallahassee also has many diverse natural assets providing outdoor enthusiasts
with countless outdoor activities and hunting. This area is unique in
that it provides sportsmen opportunities to hunt a wide array of quarry:
from big game like deer and hogs, coyotes and bobcat; to ducks, dove,
quail and wild turkey; as well as small game like squirrels and rabbit.
This area is also fortunate to have many public land options for hunting
and fishing, including the Apalachicola National Forest, Florida's largest
national forest, protecting more than 571,088 acres and the Joe Budd
Wildlife Management Area (WMA), which is one of the few places in the
state where only primitive weapons like bows and muzzleloaders are permitted
for hunting.
All in all, it was a great week of adventure, and I'm already looking
forward to our 2011 FOWA convention in Naples.
Visit www.mosquitocreekoutdoors.com for
your outdoor adventure needs, its Where the Adventure Begins!
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Fishing Forecast
September, 2010
Complements of Mosquito
Creek Outdoors, Apopka, FL
Upcoming Classes, Seminars and Events
Wednesday September 8th, Seminar on the "Fishing Fall Mullet Run" at
the Backcountry Flyfishing Association meeting, 6:30 PM, Harmoni Market,
2305 Edgewater Drive, Orlando, Florida 32804
Saturday, September 18th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing
with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers, Basic
fishing open forum, followed by "Fishing the Fall Mullet Run" 10:30
- 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington
Ave., Apopka Florida.
Saturday October 2nd 10 AM - 5 PM, "Discover Fly Fishing Day" in
the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoors in Apopka Florida. Guides, Professionals
and Factory representatives will be on hand all day to introduce new
comers to fly fishing and discuss casting, destinations, tactics, and
equipment.
Saturday, October 23rd, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing
with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers, Basic
fishing open forum, followed by "Fall Fishing Tactics Redfish, Trout
and Flounder" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback at Mosquito Creek
Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.
Tuesday, November 9th, 7:00 - 9:00 PM, Orlando Kayak Fishing Club Meeting
(open to all) in the Outback at Mosquito Creek Outdoor in Apopka Florida.
Saturday, November 20th, 9:30 - 10:30 AM, "Free Seminar" Fishing
with the Pros instructed by Captains Tom Van Horn and Chris Myers, Basic
fishing open forum, followed by "Preparing for the Shad Run & Crappie
Season & Shad Derby Meeting" 10:30 - 11:30 AM in the Outback
at Mosquito Creek Outdoors, 170 South Washington Ave., Apopka Florida.
September Fishing Outlook
As the summer squalls build and move north through the Atlantic, shorter
day and cooler nights are preludes to the season of the mullet. Soon
waves of baitfish will begin working their way south through the lagoons
and along the beach as the fall bait run commences. On their southerly
migration in search of warmer waters, schools of black and silver mullet
in the lagoons and close to the beach and Atlantic menhaden (pogies),
thread fin herring (greenies), and bay anchovies (glass minnows) out
in deeper water will begin pushing south.
Weather permitting, near-shore opportunities are the best you will see
all year. Along the beaches, target areas of concentrated bait schools
for a mixed bag of snook, tarpon, kingfish, cobia, jack crevalle, oversized
redfish, and sharks. Additionally, snook fishing in the surf will improve
as the baitfish move south along the beach. Also look for schools of
glass minnows to begin showing up bringing larger Spanish mackerel, bluefish,
and tarpon with them.
In and around the inlets of Ponce, Port Canaveral, and Sebastian look
for flounder, snook, jack crevalle, and oversized redfish feeding on
migrating baitfish along the jetties and just outside the inlets. Easterly
swells, falling tides, and aggressive anglers can make for dangerous
angling conditions, so please pay attention, be patient, and enjoy the
rewards.
In the north Indian River and Mosquito Lagoons, Look for slot redfish
in close to the grassy edges along the shoreline shadowing pods of finger
mullet, and for the larger redfish staged in deeper water ambush sites
where migrating mullet are forced to venture out from the safety of the
shallow flats. In deeper water areas, look for ladyfish, spotted sea
trout, jacks, and tarpon feeding on schools of glass minnows. These schools
of fish are easily located by watching for bird and fish activity. Once
located, these schools will produce explosive action on small top water
plugs like the Storm Chug Bug, or popping bug flies. Also, if you locate
a school of the larger black mullet, try fishing spoons or DOA Shrimp
deep under the school. Even though, mullet are vegetarians, redfish and
sea trout will often mingle in feeding on shrimp and crabs kicked up
from the bottom by feeding mullet.
Good Luck and Good Fishing,
Captain Tom Van Horn
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